There seems to be a lock screen vulnerability discovered by users in iOS 7 that allows access to a device’s photos, email and social networking accounts. According to Jose Rodriguez who provided a video of the bug to Forbes, a few gestures gives unwarranted access to a device running iOS 7.

The exploit can be initiated by swiping upwards on the device’s lock screen to access the Control Center and open the Clock app. Once the Clock app is open, holding the phone’s sleep button will cause the “Slide to Power Off” option to appear. Tapping on cancel at this point and then double clicking on the hoe button will open the phone’s multitasking screen and give access to the camera and the photos on the devices. The key to the trick however, is to access the Camera app from the lock screen first, causing it to appear in the recently used apps list.

Since the photos from the Camera app can be shared via Flickr, Twitter, Facebook and email, a user with malicious intent can also gain access to those apps using the sharing tools. The following was mentioned regarding the procedure:

I tested the technique on an iPhone 5 running iOS 7, and it worked. Rodriguez’s video shows it working on an iPad, too. It’s not yet clear if the same exploit can bypass the lockscreen of an iPhone 5s or 5c, but Rodriguez tells me he believes it will. I’ve reached out to Apple for comment and I’ll update this post if I hear from the company.

For those of you who don’t already know, Apple has been plagued by lock screen vulnerabilities several times in the past. A bug appeared in iOS 6.1 that allowed lock screen access to the phone when the emergency call function was manipulated as well. The current iOS 7 vulnerability can be avoided by preventing the Control Center from appearing on the lock screen. This setting can be turned on/off by opening the Settings app and selecting “Access on Lock Screen.”

Those of you who are interested in watching a video of the vulnerability in action can do so below:

He never shows that the phone is locked and requiring a pass code after he locks it. If the phone is not asking for a pass code then it works like in the video. If it is asking for a pass code then it just goes back to the lock screen.

I don't really foresee having that problem. I always keep my phone in my possession. It's either in my pants pocket or on my headboard charging during the night while I sleep. I have never had an issue of someone having access to my phone without my permission.